Chapter 43

Jade began making the tea after Jamil's departure. I was silent for awhile, wondering why that guy had to be so concerned with my affairs. At least I understood Ace and Deuce's concerns about my relationship with the twins. They were my friends and cared about me. But Jamil? What made him interested?

"You know Jamil has a crush on you, right?" Jade said casually as if reading my mind.

I froze, my eyes darting to him. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Jade gave me a sly smile. "You really have no idea when guys are into you, do you?"

Now I was even more confused. "What guys? There's more? Who?"

Jade chuckled. "I don't think I should tell you. You may not be able to handle it."

I sighed and shook my head. "Maybe you're right." Some things I was better off not knowing. "But why do you think Jamil likes me? He doesn't act like he does. He doesn't seem jealous at all. He's trying to push me towards Kalim, not himself."

Jade smiled mysteriously. "That does not mean anything, Ona."

I crossed my arms. "Okay, what does it mean?"

"He is against you spending time with Floyd and me because he believes we are bad for you. He thinks of himself in the same way, so why would he try to pursue you himself?"

I shrugged. "That is a fair assessment he has of himself. He did cause me a lot more harm than you and Floyd ever did. So, he truly thinks Kalim is better for me?"

Jade nodded. "Kalim is close to him, so he could still monitor and protect you without having to make you date him. It's a win-win for him."

I thought about it while he poured the water into the teapot. "Yeah... that's stupid."

"Oh?"

"If Jamil likes me, then he should fight for me, not push me onto Kalim like a coward."

Jade's lips twitched in amusement. "You say that like it's so easy."

"It is easy. If he thinks he's not good enough for me, then he needs to take action to change that. If he really is attracted to the good in me, that should inspire him to be better. Otherwise he's just weak."

Jade chuckled lightly. "You can be pretty harsh sometimes."

"I just speak the truth. Jamil has no right to complain if he's not willing to do the work himself. Besides, if he thinks I'm so great, why doesn't he respect my choices? By his analysis, shouldn't I have better judgment than him?"

Jade smirked. "You do make a fair point. So, your perfect prince has to be willing to fight for you?"

"At the bare minimum, yes." I smiled at him. "No one is perfect, Jade. Not me and not Kalim. We all decide who we want to be each day, and we can always change. That's what Azul did, isn't it? He worked hard to change his life. And Deuce is trying hard to change his ways, to be a better person. I don't find anything more admirable than that." I paused. "And if Jamil or anyone else needed support in such an endeavor, I would support them without question. I am always willing to help someone who's striving to do what's right."

"I know you are, Ona." There was affection in Jade's eyes before he returned to the tea. He poured the drink into two cups and handed me one. "Here. Let's sit down and talk."

"Thanks." I took the teacup and walked into the lounge. Jade and I sat together on the couch and placed our tea on the table."

Jade smiled at me. "Enough with these unhappy topics. What would you like me to talk to you about?"

I sipped my tea as I thought about it. "Can you tell me about your life in the Coral Sea... and about your childhood maybe? If you're comfortable with it."

Surprise momentarily flashed on Jade's face. "I don't mind, but do you really want to hear about that?"

I smiled. "Of course. I would love to learn more about you and your home."

He smiled back at me. "Very well. I will tell you - as long as you tell me about your home."

Now I was the one who was surprised. "My home? You mean my world?"

"Yes. Is that so odd?"

"It's just... no one here has asked me to tell them about my home before. Not even my friends. Though, I suppose they're not the most polite or thoughtful people when it comes to things like that." I paused as I realized something. "But you know how to act like a gentleman."

Jade's smile faded. "Ona, listen to me." He reached out and took my hand in his. I was surprised, but I did not pull away. "You have always seen me for who I am. I will not insult you by putting on my fake persona when we are alone. If I am asking you to share about your home, it is because I genuinely want to hear about it, understand?" He gave me a gentle smile, and I saw the warmth in his eyes.

"Yeah, I understand, Jade. I'm sorry I suggested otherwise."

"Good." Jade squeezed my hand before letting go. "Now, you asked first, so I will get started."

And so, for the rest of the SDC, we shared stories about our homes. Not only were the conversations interesting, but they helped take away some of the homesickness. I also felt more connected to Jade. We could empathize with each other because we were both in a different world with very different rules. There was a comfort in that. Most of all, I was grateful he trusted me enough to share about his life and that he listened to me in return.

"Good morning, sis!" Kalim said brightly when I entered the kitchen for breakfast in the morning. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to stare at us.

"Morning, Kalim!" I said happily.

"Sis?" Deuce said.

"You two aren't related," Epel said.

"Not by blood," I said, "but we're adopted siblings now." I put my arm around Kalim's shoulder, and he did the same.

"That's right!" Kalim said, grinning.

Ace looked over us both and then nodded. "I can see it."

"I can't," said Grim.

"Stop messing around and eat your breakfast," said Vil.

I sat down next to Kalim at the table. Jamil sat on his other side. He appeared annoyed, but he did not talk to us. Throughout the day, Kalim and I stayed close to each other and talked to each other a lot. Jamil watched on with neither approval nor disapproval. I wondered just what he was thinking.

"I heard you adopted Sea Otter," Floyd said when I went outside to meet him.

I laughed. "Well, we're adopted siblings now."

Floyd grinned. "Sea Otter seems like a fun brother to have!"

"Yeah, he should. And now I think Jamil will leave me alone for awhile."

Floyd's smile faded, and his eyes darkened. "Has he been bothering you? Do you need me to take care of him?"

I quickly waved my hands back and forth to dispel such a notion. If he confronted Jamil, that would just make the situation way worse. "No, no, Floyd. That's alright. It's nothing like that." He still looked upset, so I tried to think of something to erase his concerns. "Jade has been helping me a bit. Subtly is required in this particular situation, so his talents are better suited for this." I gave him a smile to show him I meant no offense.

Floyd immediately relaxed, smiling happily again. "Okay, Little Shrimpy! Just let me know if you change your mind. I'm always here to help."

I smiled back at him. "Thanks, Floyd." He remained in a good mood after that, and we enjoyed our time together.

Even though I had fun with Kalim for the rest of the day, my mind kept drifting back to Jamil. Why had he not approached me yet? I should have been happy that he had backed off, but I could not help remembering what Jade told me about him. I felt a tad bit guilty even though it was not my fault and I was not responsible for Jamil's feelings. Still, if what Jade said was true, that meant that Jamil truly cared, and I should therefore make at least some effort to reconcile with him.

I noticed Jamil sitting by himself during dinner. It took some effort to get away from Kalim and even more than that to convince him not to follow me. Somehow, I managed to get myself free so I could sit across from Jamil at the table. "Hello," I said with a small smile.

"What do you want?" Jamil said in an irritated tone.

"I just want to talk. I'm sorry I surprised you last night. I just want you to stop trying to make my choices for me."

Jamil stared at his food. "That's not what I'm trying to do."

"Then what are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to help you. You can't trust Jade."

"Maybe you can't, but I can."

Jamil's eyes narrowed. "He's manipulating you."

My eyes narrowed in turn. "No, he's not."

"You don't understand. You do not know what he is like."

My eyes flashed with anger. "Yes, I do! I know exactly what he's like. Why do you think I turned to him during winter break? I know how devious can be, but..." I took a deep breath to calm myself. "He also cares about me and would never do anything to hurt me." Suddenly, something occurred to me. "I can prove it to you. Wait here for a minute?"

Jamil raised an eyebrow. "Very well."

I got up and made my way to my room. I find the photo album that Crowley wanted me to keep and searched for the right photo. I smiled when I found it and quickly returned to Jamil. "Here. Take a look at this." I hold the photo out to him. It's a picture of Jade and Floyd that I took with the ghost camera. Both of them are almost three dimensional, with Floyd being a little more prominent than Jade. "The ghost camera captures the essence of the soul bond between the photographer and the subject. For there to be a bond, both people must have attachments to each other. Even Jade cannot manipulate the ghost camera."

Jamil leaned in and examined the photo. Then he let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. You have a point. Perhaps your friendship with them is real." He paused. "You still shouldn't fall in love with either of them. You deserve better."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes by reminding myself this just meant that he cared about me. "First off, I hardly think you can choose who you fall in love with - so stop trying to set me up with Kalim. If something is going to develop, it will develop on its own. Second, if I do fall in love, it doesn't mean I have to act on those feelings. You will have to trust my judgment on that one. Finally, if I were to be romantically involved with either Jade or Floyd, I know they would love me with everything they have. What more could I possibly deserve?"

Jamil looked down. "Do what you wish. Just don't tell me I didn't warn you."

I was silent for several moments. "Hey, Jamil?" I spoke in a gentler tone. "Thank you for caring."

Jamil stiffened, still not looking at me. "I don't care."

I smiled. "Sure, you don't. Anyway, I do actually really like Kalim, so I will try to spend more time with him." I paused. "I could be your friend too if you want."

Jamil finally looked at me with a guarded expression. "Thanks, but I don't need your friendship."

I shook my head. "If you say so." He was still as stubborn as ever. Maybe in time I could get him to open up a bit more. I knew Kalim wanted that too. At least, hopefully, our disagreement was finally at an end.

"We're down to one week until the Song & Dance Championship," Vil announced during practice on Saturday. "Starting today, we'll be doing rehearsals in full costume."

"You mean in our school uniforms?" said Ace.

"Precisely," said Rook. "After all, we are representing Night Raven College when we take the stage."

I shrugged. "Makes sense to me."

"That, and school uniforms are ideal attire for a boy band that projects a youthful image," said Vil. "Naturally, these are specially tailored uniforms that stretch to accommodate dance moves. You can thank the headmage for having them made."

"Oh, think nothing of it," Crowley said, popping out of nowhere. "It's a small price to pay for massive school publicity—" He coughed. "Ahem. I mean, you boys deserve the freedom to dance to your fullest!"

"I would've liked costumes with a little more razzle-dazzle, personally," said Kalim.

"It's not our call to make," said Jamil.

Vil clapped his hands twice. "Enough chitchat. We're going to do the full song from top to bottom."

"Yes, sir!" everyone said.

"I'll start the music!" I said, and I did just that. Everyone performed very well, and even Crowley clapped at the end.

"Oh... OOOH!" said Crowley. "Marvelous. Simply marvelous! You're all in such perfect sync! I knew I made the right call putting Schoenheit in charge of production. An ultra-trendy song, sharp dance moves, incredible singing, and highly thematic lyrics... I give it top marks across the board!"

"Heh... But of course," said Vil. "What do you take me for?"

"What I've always taken you for. A leading global talent—no, correction—the housewarden of Pomefiore, our campus's most historic and beautiful dorm. The SDC is a musical recital. We won't know what songs the other schools have chosen until the day of... But you have a level of polish that makes you worthy of being called top contenders. Schoenheit. NRC. Defeat Royal Sword Academy and prove your beauty to the world!"

"Yes, sir!" we all said.

"Oh, yes—I have something for you all." Crowley held out small, rectangular pieces of paper. He handed some to each of us.

"Song & Dance Championship affiliate tickets," I said.

"Tickets to the SDC remain hot commodities every year. I've used our status as the host school to reserve a small handful of affiliate seats. You can give them to your friends and family."

"Ooh! Thanks, Headmage!" Kalim said with a grin. "My mom and dad said they'd rented out a few movie theaters for the event back home. They'll be holding a live viewing with all the household staff and family."

"My little sister said she'd be visiting for the culture fair," said Jamil. "I suppose I could give her one. Though it does make me a tad nervous knowing family will be watching."

"You have a sister?" I said curiously.

"Yes."

"And on that note, don't let me keep interrupting your practice," said Crowley. "I'll be taking my leave now. Break a leg, everybody." He proceeded to walk out the door.

"All right, boys, back to practice," said Vil.

"Yes, sir!" everyone said.

"Lookin' at these guys now, it's like all the struggles we saw at first never even happened," Grim said, seeming pleased.

"We might actually win this!" I said. And I was excited.

I checked the mirror in my room before bed like I had been doing for days now. Maybe I was just dreaming about Mickey after all... I glanced out the window and caught sight of someone in the garden. Curious, I sneaked out of the dorm to check it out. Soon enough, I recognized the figure.

"Hi, Hornton!" I said cheerfully.

The boy turned to me with a small smile. "Greetings, child of man. It's been some time. I trust all is well? I'm glad to hear it. It's good to see you in high spirits."

Suddenly, I remembered something. "Were you the one who sent the holiday greeting card?"

"Ah... That's right. I did give a card to Lilia to send. I never received a reply, though. You've surmised correctly. You really have no idea who I am, do you? Heh." He smirked a little.

I felt the need to give him something in return for the card, so I held out the tickets I got earlier. "How would you like to attend the SDC at the culture fair with your friends?"

Hornton appeared surprised as he took the tickets from me. "Are these... tickets to the show they're putting on at this year's culture fair? Are you actually inviting me?" He smiled. "Heh... Heh heh heh... Ha ha ha! You truly have no fear at all. Very well. I shall accept your gracious invitation. Will you be in it?"

"Ah, no." I quickly explained the situation.

"Oh, you're the team manager? Pity. But Schoenheit and Asim will be in it? Heh. That should be quite the spectacle. I'll look forward to the festival. Have a good night, now, Ona."

I smiled as I watched him leave. "I think I just made his day."

The final week before the SDC went by surprisingly fast. Practices were more bearable now that I had Kalim to talk to during our short breaks. Jamil was always around because of that, and we learned to get along fairly well. And then I got to see both Floyd and Jade every day. Everything was about as good as it could get considering the circumstances.

Then, the night before the first day of the culture fair, I had another weird dream. It was yet another continuation of my previous dreams. This time, I learned that the beautiful queen was trying to kill the princess. For some reason, this gave me a very bad feeling. What exactly did my dreams mean? Maybe I should ask Jade if he had any ideas. Ace and Deuce hadn't been any help. A knock on the door broke me out of my thoughts.

"Good morning, Ona," Epel said as he entered the room. "Grim. Are you up?"

"Yeah, we're up," I said.

"Hey, Epel!" Grim said. "Today's the big day! It's the Song & Dance Championship! You'd better take home the gold, okay?! My tuna bonanza is ridin' on it!"

"Absolutely!" Epel said with a smile. "I'm ready to win this thing. But... it's kinda sad to think that this will be the last day of our training camp. Thank you for accommodating us this long. Heh heh."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "It's been fun. We'll be out in a few alright?"

Epel nodded. "No problem." He waited for us inside the room, and I finished getting ready. Then Grim, Epel, and I headed out into the hallway.

"Morning, Ona!" Kalim said as soon as he saw us. "Epel! Grim! Did you sleep well? I didn't. I was too excited. Jamil even yelled at me to go to sleep! Aha ha!"

"Seriously," said Jamil. "You're not a child on a field trip."

"I slept fine, thanks," I said. Except for that dream...

"Bonjour!" Rook said as he entered the hallway. "Good morning to you all! I hope the day finds you well. Vil has some words for everyone before the show. Would you mind coming to the lounge?"

"No problem." We all followed him into the lounge.

"I see everyone's here," Vil said once we arrived. "The time will be 3 p.m. The place will be the Purple Stage set up in the coliseum. Then and there, the Song & Dance Championship will finally kick off. The competition will be streamed live worldwide. This is our moment to reap the beauteous seeds we've sown and take the entire world by storm! I trust all of you are ready?"

"Yes, sir!" we all said.

"Rehearsals start at noon. I expect each of you to be ready to take the stage before then."

"Oooh... It's killin' me that all we can do is watch," said Grim.

"Correct—you and the manager will be of no use simply lurking around and twiddling your thumbs. Your fidgeting will only distract us. Go see the sights at the festival instead. I'll give you a staff pass. Wear it when you go in. But I expect you to be present for rehearsal in the coliseum at noon. Is that clear?"

I smiled at him and accepted the pass. "Thanks, Vil."

"Aw, maaan," said Ace. "I wanna check out the festival!"

"Me, too!" said Kalim.

"Out of the question for you!" Vil said sternly. "Have you been listening to a word I've said? The festival lasts for two days, so you'll have your chance to cavort on day two. Today, you will focus strictly on the SDC show. Now, let's start our final checks!"

A few minutes later, Grim and I were on our way to school. "Ooh, ooh!" Grim said excitedly. "Ona! Look at all these food stalls!"

"As team manager, I'd rather check out the stage first," I said.

Grim frowned. "Booo! Why ya gotta start carin' about bein' a manager NOW, of all times? They got funnel cakes! Hot dogs! Corn dogs! You name it, they fry it and serve it!"

"That can wait!" I said. Grim continued to grumble, but he followed me to the purple stage. It all looked... rather fancy. And there were students working on it.

"Whoa! It's the same ol' coliseum, but with a big stage set up." Grim looked around curiously. "Ain't that the Savanaclaw crew over there? Heyyy!" I followed him over to the students.

"Well, if it isn't the Ramshackle cubs," said Ruggie. "Here to chip in with setup? Shyee hee hee."

"I thought you two were managers for Ace and Deuce's group," said Jack.

"They're doin' their last big SDC push now, so they kicked us out before we could get underfoot," said Grim. "So, did you guys put this whole stage together?"

"Yeah," said Leona. "The arts clubs had to do all the maintenance and management work during the Spelldrive tournament. "So, now we're trading off. The sports clubs get all the grunt work this time around."

"The Track Club and Spelldrive Club are in charge of constructing the Purple Stage," said Jack.

"I didn't know it was student-built!" I said, impressed.

"It's a big event, but the culture fair is still a school function," said Ruggie. "Some parts we do leave to professionals, but these things are meant to be put together by students. You can think of it as...hands-on learning."

"Chatting on the clock?" Riddle said as he strolled up to us with Trey. "You must be quite confident in your progress setting up. I trust work is proceeding on schedule?"

"R-Riddle, sir!" Jack said, standing up straight. "Hello, sir."

"Well, well," said Leona. "A visit from the management committee chairman himself. Surprised you'd deign to roll around in the dirt with us peons."

"We know how hard you've been working all morning," Trey said before holding out a tray of mugs. "Here—have some warm drinks, courtesy of the committee."

"Ooh, you couldn't have timed that any better!" Ruggie said excitedly. "Doing all this setup outdoors has me freezing from my head to the tip of my tail. I'll gladly take you up on that offer!" He eagerly took a mug.

"Leona, how goes the construction?" Riddle asked.

"Right on schedule with nothing to report, as you can see," said Leona. "We'll run through some basic lighting and sound checks, then we'll be standing by for the noon rehearsal."

"Excellent. The Purple Stage will be where the Song & Dance Championship takes place. The whole world will be watching it. I want a full final check with a thorough eye for detail. The safety of every entrant is paramount."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya."

"For sure!" said Ruggie. "We're gettin' easy marks—uh, I mean, guests from all over the world. Your committee better keep a close eye on things to make sure there's no trouble."

"You're one to speak of trouble," said Riddle. "Hmph..."

"I'm being very careful to make sure no backstage slip-ups cause any other problems," said Jack.

"Glad to hear it," said Trey. "I'm counting on you." He turned to his companion. "That takes care of the last leg of our three-stage tour, right, Riddle?"

"Yes," said Riddle. "All that's left is to check on the exhibit booths and break rooms. The festival will open to the general public at 11 a.m. I'll have to be on constant lookout for fights and rule violations." He looked at me. "Ona. Grim. We're going to take a walk around the campus. If you're curious about the exhibits, you'd be welcome to join us."

I smiled at him. "I'd be happy to."

"Then I'll let the rest of you get back to work."

"Yessir!" said Jack. "Ona, Grim, see you two around. Epel gave me a ticket to the SDC, so I'll be there today. Tell him he'd better not embarrass himself in front of me."

"Sure," said Grim. "Can do." And then we set off.